Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 72

Devanagari script

चैत्रशुक्लप्रतिपदः पंचमीदिनपंचके । रावणो युध्यमानो ऽभूत्प्रचुरो रक्षसां वधः

Transliteration

caitraśuklapratipadaḥ paṃcamīdinapaṃcake | rāvaṇo yudhyamāno 'bhūtpracuro rakṣasāṃ vadhaḥ

Translation

Du premier tithi de la quinzaine claire de Caitra jusqu’à la période de cinq jours s’achevant au cinquième, tandis que Rāvaṇa poursuivait le combat, il y eut un vaste carnage parmi les Rākṣasas.

Word by Word

• चैत्र-शुक्ल-प्रतिपदः: the first lunar day of the bright fortnight of Caitra
• चैत्र-शुक्ल-प्रतिपदः: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चैत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + शुक्ल (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रतिपद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (चैत्रस्य शुक्लस्य प्रतिपत्)

• पंचमी-दिन-पंचके: in the five-day period (beginning with) the fifth day
• पंचमी-दिन-पंचके: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पंचमी (प्रातिपदिक) + दिन (प्रातिपदिक) + पंचक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (पंचम्याः दिनानां पंचके)

• रावणः: Rāvaṇa
• रावणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रावण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• युध्यमानः: fighting
• युध्यमानः: Karta (Agentive qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: युध् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Present active participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; परस्मैपदी; अर्थः—युद्धं कुर्वन्

• अभूत्: was / occurred
• अभूत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदी

• प्रचुरः: abundant, great
• प्रचुरः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रचुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (वधस्य)

• रक्षसाम्: of the rākṣasas (demons)
• रक्षसाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्षस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• वधः: slaughter, killing
• वधः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Unnamed Purāṇic narrator (contextual narrator within Brāhma Khaṇḍa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A day-by-day war tableau: Rāvaṇa’s forces surging, then collapsing under intense combat; heaps of fallen rākṣasas; banners, dust, and conch-calls marking the Caitra bright-fortnight opening.

Characters & Entities

• Caitra (month)
• Rāvaṇa
• Rākṣasas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Adharma sustained through violence culminates in inevitable loss; righteous perseverance prevails over demonic power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is explicitly named in this verse; it serves as a Purāṇic time-record of the dharmic victory narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse is a chronological account tied to lunar days (tithis).